


Pyrolysis

by fanfarepizza



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, Heart-to-Heart, Hurt/Comfort, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Other characters are mentioned briefly, Post-Canon, chapter 2 will include more (clown emoji), fix-its include the following, i need some catharsis :I or else, no beta editing. i wrote the whole of chapter 2 in one night and lost my sanity in the process, sorry in advance, the ending is more conclusive, the promare didn't leave, this fic is to write the closure that the end of the movie did not give me, thyma did not die, warning: this is not very good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25282645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanfarepizza/pseuds/fanfarepizza
Summary: After the complete combustion of Earth, Lio Fotia vanishes from the ruins of Promepolis. After a long haul, Galo Thymos finally gets a break from all the commotion surrounding his name, and holes himself up in his own apartment. However, one night, the doorbell begins to ring.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 12
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _taken directly from the start of the Wikipedia definition:_ **"Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures in an inert atmosphere. It involves a change of chemical composition. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements pyro "fire" and lysis "separating"."**

It was the second doorbell ringing that awoke Galo Thymos that night. 

It had been restless otherwise, and he wasn't able to sleep well lately. Galo had been on temporary paid leave, and just on his third day off, he had been 'off-kilter', as Lucia called it. The others had come to visit occasionally to check up on him, and to hang out, but the world's greatest firefighter was terribly good at something alike to masking his worries and concerns. That day, nobody visited him. Except for the occasional pizza delivery man.

So no one suspected a thing. It seemed in the ordinary that Galo was on paid leave. Neo Promepolis was finally faring much better, thanks to the collective collaboration of the Burnish and the rest of the city population to rebuild and rehabilitate everyone towards a happier future. It had been stressful on the part of Burning Rescue, for they had been decorated as heroes and celebrated as such for day on end.

Galo Thymos. World's greatest firefighter. 'Savior' of the world and mankind. This all, but yet, there was a heavy dread along with it deep in the man's heart. Kray's trial, and the sentencing of the entire Foresight Foundation workforce (along with the Freeze Force being completely dissolved), had to happen with Galo's presence. The people trusted him, leaned on him, depended on his judgment and opinion.

He didn't feel content with any of it. Kray had pleaded his case as a cause to save humanity, a case that was pleaded with no avail as he was handed a sentence of life-long imprisonment. The death stare he gave Galo as he last saw the former Governor being led away set the young man's blood to ice. A man could only be so brave in the presence of someone he used to idolize and trust, now turned into a monster before Galo's very own eyes.

Galo Thymos was rewarded a long-needed break, with the eventual lecture from Ignis about burnout and building stress. As much as he covered up his true feelings on the matter, his friends knew better, and implored him to take a week off. He obliged. For now.

The famed Leader of Mad Burnish had vanished like the mist of an extinguished flame after helping the rebuilding of the city and the reintegration of Burnishkind, or so the common Promepolian thought. New and wandering outer Burnish kept filing into the city out from hiding, and some from other destroyed cities, saying they had been guided by 'the shadow of a man with eyes that burned'. Months passed, but the second pilot of Galo de Lion had completely disappeared to everyone who had known him. No one but the Burnish would catch sight of him. The one question Galo would not ask, but the one that plagued his mind, sang in his head every day.

_What about Lio?_

Every night, the stars burned bright, and every night, Galo felt terribly guilty at the memory of the last time he had seen Lio. A curt farewell to the firefighter, and he had ridden out of the city, unbeknownst to mostly everyone. Nobody wanted to talk about it. No one dared speak badly of him out loud. Mad Burnish did not openly speak on it, but deep down, it was like everyone knew that they knew better than everyone what Boss had done and where he had gone.

So it had been very restless, and a lot weighed on Galo's mind even during his break. That evening he had watched a short movie, eaten only half of his pizza, and fell into a light sleep on the couch. Tonight, the doorball rang once. Galo stayed asleep in, snoring with his jaw slack open with a trace of drool on his lips. The second time it ring, he smacked his mouth and opened his drooping eyes. 

A third ringing, and he was dragging his feet down the carpeted stairs to the front door.

 _Who could it be at this hour..._ The firefighter thought, with a deep grimace on his lips as he unlocked and opened the door as the buzzer rang more frequently. _It BETTER not be any more reporters or I'll--_

It was not the reporters.

It was Lio Fotia. 

At the sight of his straggled hair and dead-set eyes, Galo's heart almost leapt through his throat to choke him. For a moment, he was shock silent, and dead awake. Lio's tired gaze bored into him, seemingly dripping with a worn weight that heaved his bones to drag against his skin. Yet, he retained that old dignity was still graced upon his features.

“Lio?”

“I'm so glad you remembered my name, at least, Galo Thymos.” That serious familiar voice spoke, the one the firefighter had thought he'd never hear again. “I thought you might have forgotten it again by now, but I suppose not.”

Galo exhaled quickly, and then shook his head in disbelief, his wild blue hair spraying around comically. 

“Lio, I....Lio!” He exclaimed, holding his hand up to one of his own cheeks.

Lio frowned at him sternly, despite his weariness. “Yes? That's my name, don't wear it out!”

“Come on in! Come on!” Galo waved his hand, ushering the smaller man in with an urgent whisper. All the while he was looking around the streets, trying to see if anyone else was watching, or was possibly following Lio. People had been trailing behind the firefighter's own steps for days now. It would cause a bout of paranoia in anyone.

Lio trudged in quietly, and Galo closed the door behind him. Galo himself was no longer tired, and the energy that surged through his veins now felt like a fire. So intense was this imaginary fire, he felt his hands shake violently.

The silence that followed was unbearable. 

He watched Lio with his breath still, the latter in turn walked onward to slump against the hallway wall, his head tipped at the side. His breathing was labored, but he didn't seem physically wounded.

Galo instinctively rushed to him, and supported him with both hands against his sides. “Lio, what happened? Are you okay?”

Lio responded, but instead of words, he let out a long sigh. He blinked to look up at Galo from under his eyelashes, his weary eyes tinged with a look of slight relief.

Galo stared back, intently listening. 

“Hm.” The Burnish smiled tightly. “I'm fine. Can I sit somewhere...?”

“Of course!” Galo clumsily ran into the living room, practically flinging himself through the hallway. He grabbed a chair and dragged it in front of Lio, and then sprinted to the fridge. Lio quietly sat down, watching the firefighter tussle through and lug out stacks of food.

“Hungry? Need a drink? Here's some of the pasta I made earlier today, it's really good...” Galo's words trailed off as he held out a ceramic bowl with wrap over it.

“Thank you.” Lio continued to stare as he spoke, taking the cold bowl and gripping it tightly. A deep dread pushed in on Galo now, and memories of the last time they had been alone weighed in on him. Why had he returned? Why did he come to him? 

Another deep silence.

“Galo. There's no utensil to eat this wi-”

“I'LL GET ONE!” Galo rocketed again to the kitchen, leaping over his sofa. He held out a fork, his hand shaking. Lio gingerly took it, watching Galo's face all the while.

“Thank you....again.....” Lio's quiet words trailed off.

Galo pursed his lips together in a thoughtful pout, and he sat down on the sofa with his hands clasped onto his chin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the DVD case of the film he had watched that evening, _Pacific Rim_.

“So...how's the weather?” Galo asked awkwardly, wanting to make simple conversation first.

Lio blinked at him. “The...weather.” 

“Yeah. The clouds and the such. Did it rain before you arrived?” It had rained near Promepolis earlier in the morning that day.

Lio's bright eyes lightened a bit, his features softening. “It rained. And it was so beautiful...a sun shower.”

Galo beamed back with a grin. 

“I've never hated the rain, despite what I've heard other people say about it.” The Burnish continued, leaning his cheek onto the palm of his hand, lazily slumping forward as he ate some of the pasta. “I remember the days when it wouldn't rain for weeks, months...”

“Yeah. Now there's rain again.” Galo sighed, leaning onto his side as sunk into the sofa. “Man, I miss that.”

“Miss what?”

“Miss being alone in the rain, watching it fall. Having time to myself. Have you had any luck with, you know, getting some space, Lio?” 

Lio's expression became a slight wince, and he placed the unfinished food down on the coffee table in front of them. “I haven't either. Galo, I've been leading lost Burnish into safety ever since I left. It's been really busy.”

“I saw some of them! We've been helping them, reorganizing new homes, new...” Galo's sentence trailed off as he finally looked closer at Lio's face. He WAS a shadow of a man, worn to exhaustion beyond anything he had ever seen. Strands of Lio's hair dangled in front of his dirty forehead, drawing out streaks across his face.

_What about Lio?_

“The reintegration projects are doing well, and some Burnish have helped with the reconstruction and expansion of the city.”

“I'm glad...and what about Gueira, Meis, and Thyma?”

“Living in an apartment together. They're really worried about you, you know.” Galo gently placed a hand on Lio's shoulder. 

“I'll go see them tomorrow. Thank you, Galo.” 

Galo chuckled. Then he shook his head and peered down at Lio. “Wait, how'd you know where I live?”

Lio was quiet for a moment, his eyes trained to the ground. He extended his hand forward, and bright pink light came to life in his grasp.

“The fire. Remember when you had my Promare in you? A trace of it still remains in there.”

“Eh?! You're telling me that somewhere inside me, I'm on FIRE?” Galo shouted, leaping to his feet, smacking his chest with his open hands. “I've been on fire this whole time since that day?!”

Lio snickered, his whole body trembling a bit. “Kind of. It suits you though, Galo. Whatnot with your 'burning soul'.” As Lio said 'burning soul', he straightened up and pretended to flex his muscles teasingly, copying the firefighter's stance and grandiose voice.

“I'm on fire! Is that safe? Lio!” The blue-haired man clutched his hands together in worry.

“You're fine, silly. It's still protecting you.” 

“Protecting me? It...it's still protecting me...” Galo's whole body relaxed, but his eyes still boggled in shock.

“Just a little spark, that's all. Anyways, Burnish that are practically strong with their affinity with the Promare can sense specific flares and sparks, especially those that one sends out themselves.” Lio waved his hand nonchalantly. “When I was headed back to Promepolis, but I felt that spark still in you, and like in a trance...I followed my way to it.”

“Whoa.” Galo didn't really know what to say in response.

“Yeah. If I can, can I rest here? It took me a while to get here, and I'm all worn out.”

“Oh! Yeah, sure!”

At the confirmation, Lio immediately stood up, his lanky limbs wrapped around his side as if he was trying to warm himself up, and walked over in front of the couch. “Alright, move over.”

“Move over?”

“I'm sleeping there, obviously.” 

Galo stared back, now even more shocked than before.

“Are you nuts? In that condition, Lio? No way. Upstairs, there's my room, and you can take my bed.”

“Take your BED?” Lio raised his voice a bit, his eyes now wide too.

“I won't sleep with you, I mean, NEAR YOU, I..” Galo had never before wanted to slap himself so hard as much as did now, what was he even saying? “Lio, you can have the entire bed, I'LL sleep on this sofa!” 

“I!....” Lio began to exclaim, pointing his finger into Galo's face, but then he stopped and withdrew his arm at the sight of Galo's stern gaze. He was completely serious about this.

“Lio, you're tired beyond proper function. You are not healthy right now, and the best thing for you now is for you to sleep somewhere comfortable. Please.” 

A couple of more minutes of staring, and Lio eventually sighed and began to walk towards the staircase. Galo began to follow behind him, but Lio held up his hand as if to ward him off. Somewhere deep inside Galo's heart, it stung. Lio Fotia, the leader of Mad Burnish, slowly dragged his feet up the stairs, momentarily glancing back at the firefighter with an unfocused look.

Galo waited until he had the sound of a door shutting upstairs and slumped over his sofa again to try to sleep again. His chest felt heavy at the absence of Lio, but eventually he started to drift off into slumber, with that old thought circling his mind again.

_What about Lio?_

No more doorbells rang that night at Galo Thymos' household.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing galo and lio here was such a severe struggle. i unfortunately projected some of my feelings of helplessness and blind optimism in here. but someone told me once that self-projection makes writing more realistic? so maybe this isn't so bad?

Small airy chirping, and swirling ash, spiraled around and around in the shadows of the night outside. The midnight air whispered quietly around Promepolis, the night sky alight with stars and a full moon. The streets were illuminated with silver highlight, repaired apartments and skyscrapers stitched with patchwork solidified Burnish flame. Not a single person was out on the street.

Galo was adrift in slumber on his sofa, and dreamed of multicolored flying streamers and warm grass. Faceless figures smiled and called to him on the side as he ran by in his dream, waving his hand as he passed by. The wind whipped around his bright blue hair, and his arms swung back and forth in a strong rhythm.

 _“Where are you going? Will you come back?”_ The voices pleaded with a needing strain. _”Where are you going, Galo?”_

Galo didn't not respond, but with a pressed smile, he continued to sprint and wave. The green grass and the rainbow streamers became longer and longer, and turned into waves of crashing water around him.

 _”Will you come back? Please come back!”_ The crying joined with the screaming of the thrashing waters, soaking through Galo's skin as cold as ice. He continued to run, suddenly afraid that those figures were going to follow him in. 

His breathing became labored as he ran, on and on, endlessly. He was finally alone, but the clamor became louder. Colors flew in a blur past his gaze. A flash of white lightning streaked through the air, the light curling down to strike directly in front of Galo, making him halt. 

The shape of a large humanoid, the steam and light morphed into now and loomed over Galo. A dark figure with steam boiling from their bared teeth and seething eyes the size of dinner plates bored a soul piercing stare into the firefighter's own.

_“Where are you going?”_

“Lio...” Galo finally found his voice as he recognized who it was.

The hunched Burnish continued to stare down at him. The horns atop his head glowed bright with a sizzling hiss as the dark waves crashed against his immobile form.

_”Will you come back? Please come back!”_

“Lio, I'm sorry!” Galo choked out, spitting out the rising water. “Lio!”

He continued to stare, his eyes seemingly to impossibly widen into a distortion to Galo's imagination. Lio's hands curled in towards themselves, his claws glistening in the light of the sky.

Yet it was not a hateful stare, nor was it the one of the frantic fury that the firefighter remembered from their second fight in Promepolis. It was a forlorn gaze, beaten and silently confused, like a plea that had been stifled from speech. 

A frothing wave of screams and darkness rose up behind Lio, now towering over the two of them in a roar. 

_”Where are you going, Lio? Will you come back? Please come back!”_

Galo held his hands out in desperation. 

“I'm sor-”

The deafening cold of the water that crashed over Galo and Lio was also earsplittingly loud. Before the firefighter could wake up with a shout, he swore that Lio had reached his hands out to him too, as if to try to somehow protect him from the wave.

\--

Unceremoniously, Galo was now sprawled on the ground, his pointed chin against the edge of a carpet under the coffee table. He grumbled in pain, now forgetting most of the dream itself as his eyes focused on his surroundings. 

“Galo...? What's going on?” A tired voice called out. From the floor, he spotted Lio's bare feet stepping into the side of his view.

“Mhnmm.” Galo grumbled, making no effort to get up. 

Lio stepped over to kneel, peering his face into Galo's own. It was not yet morning, so it was that strange intermediate time of night when everything would feel unnatural when you awake, probably from thirst of water or insomnia. Blue light was cast in though the partly closed shades of the living room.

Lio's eyes were illuminated by the light, causing his irises to shine.

“Galo?”

“Uhmmrgg...” The firefighter struggled, tipping over while trying to get his arms under himself to get up. Lio attempted to help, pulling on Galo's arms. A few annoyed grunts later, they were seated on the sofa.

“And why are YOU up, eh?” Galo asked, pouting down at Lio.

The Burnish man shrugged. “I heard you fall, and blubber like a doofus.”

“Did not.”

“Ok. Let's assume I didn't.” Lio scoffed, prodding Galo's side gently with his arm. 

“And?”

Lio was quiet. “Assume that I had a nightmare.”

Galo became silent too.

“Galo. I know this seems abrupt, but I need to talk to you. I had thought of...putting it off until tomorrow, but...” Lio's voice seemed to catch in his throat. “We need to talk. Some things shouldn't be delayed.”

“I understand that. Are you alright?” Galo's tone was hushed now.

“I came here to talk to you. I was guided back to you for a reason...I would have gone back to Gueira, Meis and Thyma if I had used my head, but I didn't...” Lio clenched his teeth angrily. “I didn't use my head. I came here without thinking, and I'm sorry.”

“Don't be sorry! If you start apologizing, then I'LL start apologizing, and it'll turn into a big mess...” 

The two sat in silence again, their hands wrung over their knees.

“Can we...can we go upstairs, Galo?”

“Yeah.” The firefighter nodded, as he rocked back and forth to stand up. “Let's go.”

Lio stood up slowly, and followed after. Galo stopped and turned to the smaller man. 

“Are you wearing my clothes?” 

“What else would I have changed into after a bath? I wasn't going to sleep in your bed with my dirty leather, that would have been a little rude.” Lio chuckled. He was wearing a white T-shirt that was so oversized, the collar of it hung at the edge of his shoulder. Below was a poofy pair of shorts tightened and tied to fit at the hip. 

“That's fair...” Galo didn't really know HOW to respond to that, but he was glad that Lio took a bath and had gotten comfortable.

–

Galo's room wasn't overly spacious. A townhouse in general was a little crowded, with hallways not built for more than two people to pass through at the same time. His room had a sloped ceiling, with two shelves lined with books, boxes, and various knickknacks. Posters were hung on the wall in neat order, and a homemade Matoi banner was leaning on a desk stacked with paperwork and more books.

Matoi Tech leaned against the edge of the bedframe of a Twin-sized bed, with two pillows and two tussled blankets. Lio and Galo entered the room without a word, Lio seated himself immediately on the edge of the bed, and rubbing his tired face with his thin hands. 

Galo leaned into his desk, his eyes immediately darting away from the serious paperwork stacked in front of him. He started to remember the mess that has taken place the past few days.

How the reporters had swarmed him the day before he took the break! It was enough to made a man feel sick. _'How do you feel about your hero being arrested?' 'Will you continue to work with Burnish to reconstruct the city?' 'What was it like working with the leader of Mad Burnish to prevent the launch of the Parnassus?'_ Galo wanted to scream, but instead he smiled quickly and drove away on his motorcycle. 

There was no more frozen lake to gouge an axe five feet down into now. All that remained was a crater full of stone and strange flora, and the implied buried remains of Deus Prometh's hidden laboratory. Nobody suspected this. Galo mentioned it to Aina once over a private pizza lunch, the hour after Lio had left. She didn't say anything, but he knew she didn't want to ask anyone about it either. She was also burdened with her own stress, with what had happened with Heris's trial. Galo reached out that day and squeezed her hand. The fake smile she gave him still made him feel scared for her safety. 

Galo knew she needed space, but he had stuck with her for as long as he could while everything was being settled. For the rest of Burning Rescue, the firefighter felt deeply attached to them and desperately wanted to be there for all of them. Remi had commented on this before Galo packed up Matoi Tech with a gentle smile, and even laughed awkwardly when Galo gripped him into a tight hug.

_I hope they're okay._

He had felt even more awkward about visiting the Mad Burnish generals and Thyma next. The two powerful Burnish men, that had suffered initial (and dramatic) defeat against Galo, were very bold and acted nonchalant at first, but looked still wary as the firefighter talked to them. Thyma kept occasionally apologizing for Galo's burnt arm, to which he answered that she didn't need to, and that he in turn was sorry that he couldn't protect her, along with the other recovering Burnish, when they were in need. The three of them were in better spirits though, and their fire cackled with a bright and calm demeanor when Galo was around. 

They didn't ask about Lio, but their eyes did. Their fire was asking in silent speech. They were going to heal, but they were scared that Lio was gone.

Now Lio was back. Yet, instead to his generals, he had came to Galo. The firefighter glanced up through his hanging blue hair to Lio, who was smoothing his bunched-up hair down neatly. He was a very self-kept man, Galo felt, but with the same burning passion he himself had.

“Again, thanks for letting me in.” Lio broke the silence. 

“Yeah. You're welcome, Lio.”

The Burnish breathed out with a tight smile, sitting cross-legged on the sheets. He didn't look as torn out as he did when Galo saw him at the doorway, but traces of the rugged death hung to him like sick cobwebs. Galo moved over to sit in front of Lio on the bedsheets, his own legs crossed as well with his hands planted on his knees. A usual Galo Thymos way of sitting.

For a moment, Lio's eyes widened when they locked eyes, alike to one in a fit of violent terror. Instead, his face darkened, in that way that Galo recognized was the face Lio made when he was thinking hard. 

“Everyone's doing better now, right?”

“Absolutely. There have been health checks for all of the Burnish, and also the other people who had been harmed in the ship's launch...”

Lio's eyes narrowed.

“And what about Kray Foresight? Where is he?” His voice dripped with hatred.

Galo felt his face perspire. “Arrested. Life sentence.”

“Life sentence.” Lio sounded mocking now, but this anger was not directed in Galo's direction.

“It is all still being figured out, Lio. The priority is the safety of Burnishkind and the uniting of the whole city.”

“A life sentence. He's still alive....” Lio's shoulders shook, and his head bowed. “And I wasn't strong enough to stop him. Not then, and never before.”

Galo's heart pounded in his chest, the sweat on his face thickening. “Are you blaming yourself?”

“I'm just a shell of who I once was, Galo!” Lio gestured to his chest frantically. “There's nothing for me to come back to after everything has been said and done, and nobody for me to tell that to!”

The firefighter's hands seized up in his knees, his nails digging into his own flesh. “What do you mean by that, Lio...?” His voice was quiet now, lowered by a worry about something he suspected.

However, Lio wasn't as quiet in response. His voice was almost a shout, and his hands became clenched in small fists against the sheets. His fire spurted out from his body in small jets, but didn't ignite anything surrounding them. 

“I don't know what to do! I don't know where to go, and there's nothing left for me anymore. There never was anything left. The reason why I followed your spark here was because it was MINE, and the only thing I have ever had is myself.”

It was like the wind had been taken right out of Galo. He froze up as Lio stared directly into him with wild eyes, through him, like he was trying to see the fire inside of Galo.

“That's not true.” Galo answered, trying to remain calm. “There's always...something there for everyone.” A quick memory of Kray's terrifying glare as he was taken into custody blazed into Galo's vision and he felt his body shiver. “No one should ever be alone. You have Gueira and Meis. They're in an apartment together with Thyma and you c-”

Lio made a loud choked noise, and covered his mouth with a shaking hand as he doubled up. Before he could kneel forward, Galo caught him in his arms, and the two began to struggle fiercely.

“Let go of me! You don't understand, you never would!” Lio shoved away, straining his neck away from the firefighter.

“I know!” Galo cried out, nearly not dodging Lio's elbow as it swung away from him. “I know I'll never understand! But I don't want you to be alone like this! Lio! Please...” 

Lio stopped struggling and lowered his arms. Galo stopped fighting too, and exhaled in frustration. 

“You wanted to talk, Lio, and you can talk to me. I will listen.”

The Burnish didn't speak. His lowered face was obscured by his hair.

“The spark inside me? With that, you saved my life, Lio. You saved so many people, and you can't burden yourself with everything in the world, and with every death. A normal human, no matter how strong they think they are, cannot do that alone.” Galo shuffled forward, reaching out with his hand slowly to brush Lio's hair aside. “You know that right?”

He just then noticed that Lio's cheeks were wet. 

Galo's heart felt like a fist was closed over it in a vice grip. He quietly lowered his hand to place it over one of Lio's.

“Lio...you are one of the kindest people I've ever met. When we saved everyone together, I felt your passion to protect everyone. And I won't let you throw yourself aside for the sake of saving other people ever again.”

“What do you mean by that? Sometimes you don't make sense, you know that?” Lio squinted up at Galo with teary eyes and a pained grimace.

“I mean when you ran away. Remember? You run away to help the others alone. You could have died again!”

Lio was silent again. A dark and sickening feeling was brothing around in the pit of Galo's stomach now.

“You don't...want to die again, right?”

The wind picked up outside. Moonlight shone through the bedroom room with a stark glow.

“No. But I don't know how to live anymore, Galo.”

It was like the Burnish had suddenly crumbled on the inside, and his body sagged in a weak and sickening tilt. Galo's lips trembled violently, and he felt his own eyes begin to water. Choking back, the firefighter heard a little voice in his head imploring himself to stay bold and brave, but it was slowly becoming hard to think. He shakily raised his arms to wrap them around Lio's thin form, and drew him in close.

After a moment of trembling breath, Lio lifted his own arms and draped them around Galo.

“It will be okay.” Galo eventually spoke, but his voice wasn't as confident as he had hoped it would be. He could feel his own tears running down. “It will be okay, and we will be okay. You will be okay.”

The two of them slowly drew up against the bed, and Lio coughed as he held Galo's hands. They shook against each other and clung onto each other in silence. A few minutes passed as they ran their hands over each other, to comfort each other.

Eventually, Lio asked again, his voice now not twisted by the painful emotions he felt. He had calmed down a bit.

“What will happen to me? What happens to people like us...people who save the world?”

Galo pulled back a bit to look down at Lio, who's eyes remained unwavering with his inner flame, despite how he had shaken earlier. The stare was intense, but with a deeply solemn calm hidden underneath.

“I--” Galo began to answer, but Lio spoke again, with that dreadful certainty.

“How do you know we'll be okay?”

_“Where are you going?”_

Galo suddenly felt a small warmth wash out from inside his heart and over his body, which strangled the fear he was about to feel again. The light from outside the window reflected on Lio's tired, but kindly patient, face, which was waiting for an answer.

The firefighter smiled gently down at Lio.

“Here. I know.” With that, Galo gently pressed his forehead against Lio's. “Remember when you protected me? And remember when I lit that fire for the first time? That's how I understand it.”

“Yes. I won't ever forget that, I suppose. How you freaked out over it too. And you know...how?” Lio breathed out, confidently matching Galo's gaze with a tight smile.

“Well,” Galo murmured, cupping his hand under Lio's chin, “Let me show you.” 

And for the second time in his life, Galo Thymos kissed the leader of Mad Burnish. 

Lio's eyes flickered and closed, his eyelashes fluttering down. The fire inside of them glowed again like it had once before, a soft teal glow spreading up from their hearts to over their gentle embrace. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, their lips parted.

“You came back to me, because you wanted to see ME, not because of the spark you left in me.” Galo said, with a small smirk on his face. He felt his face burning up and his arms shook from the elation he felt from that kiss. “That's how I know. We're gonna figure it out, together. After this break I have is over, we'll go see what to do. Until then, you can stay here.”

Lio's expression was almost unreadable, but Galo could tell that his face was definitely also flushed like his own, even though the lighting in the room made it impossible to tell. The Burnish raised his fingers up to his own lips, and his worn eyes blinked up to look at Galo with a disbelieving stare. He could almost feel the heat between the two of them still lingering.

“It's gonna be okay. I mean, we saved the world! What could possibly be harder?” The firefighter puffed out his chest confidently, and grinned at Lio. “I could light as many fires as it takes with you!”

Lio snorted and laughed then, a genuine and relieved laugh. 

“You're a rather clever man, Galo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe I could write abt galo and his bonding with br one day.... a fic like that is scarce. Esp galo bonding with aina.... where are the fics abt that! 
> 
> anyways that was pyrolysis! I almost cried when I wrote this second half but that's because i'm emotional and imagining closure is so overwhelming for me :( this is a short fic because i'm too worn out to write out more conclusive thoughts! However, this was so nice to finally get out of my system. If you have any questions on more of my thoughts, feel free to comment?

**Author's Note:**

> what's with me and late night galolio..... something is wrong with me i think! anyways uhhhhhh woo hoo


End file.
